Zuppa Toscana (Updated)

Update on 4/15/13: So I made this with Sage breakfast sausage, and about 2/3 package of bacon, and extra garlic. Otherwise followed as directed. Using real bacon was DEFINITELY an improvement over bacon bits. Oooh poor pre-cooking me, what was I thinking?! I cooked the bacon and the sausage at the same time, and while it worked out ok, I think I would actually follow the recipe next time and cook them separately. Since they both had to cook for 10 minutes, I figured I would save myself some time. However, the bacon has a hard time getting crispy while being that close and personal with the sausage. I did add a little bit of spinach at the end, and was pleasantly surprised by the results! It wasn't too wilty (I have this thing against cooked spinach, unless it's in spinach artichoke dip, which has more cheese then one could hope for) and provided a nice balance to the meat and broth. All in all, heartily recommended, and I'll probably add more spinach next time. :D 


Hello blogging world! So this blog shall keep track of different and fun recipes that I am trying out. More for my own benefit, so that I can keep track of how the recipe was, what I would have changed, etc.
So today's recipe is called Super-delicious Zuppa Toscana and hales from www.allrecipes.com.

Ingredients

• 1 pound bulk mild Italian sausage
• 1 1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
• 4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 5 (13.75 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 6 potato, thinly sliced
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 bunch fresh spinach, tough stems removed

Directions

1. Cook the Italian sausage and red pepper flakes in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crumbly, browned, and no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Cook the bacon in the same Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain, leaving a few tablespoons of drippings with the bacon in the bottom of the Dutch oven. Stir in the onions and garlic; cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Pour the chicken broth into the Dutch oven with the bacon and onion mixture; bring to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes, and boil until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the heavy cream and the cooked sausage; heat through. Mix the spinach into the soup just before serving.

So, as a non-cooked spinach lover, I skipped the spinach part. Changes that I made: I sauteed the garlic and onion in a small amount of butter for a few minutes and then added just hot sausage (no other spices) and cooked them all together. I then added the broth to that mixture and the potatoes. Once those were done, I added the cream and bacon (using bacon bits instead of regular bacon). It turned out pretty well - maybe a little on the spicy side. I think next time I may drain the sausage after cooking and potentially use a milder sausage and just add a little bit of red pepper.